Remillard ready to break out

NABF featherweight champion Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard has taken aim at the top featherweights in the world as he prepares for a breakout 2010. The 23-year-old Remillard (20-0, 11KOs), fighting out of Manchester (CT), fought four times last year, winning three by knockout. He captured the vacant NABF title September 19, stopping previously unbeaten Rafael “The Dominican Man” Lora (11-0, 5 KOs) for the vacant crown in the fourth round. Remillard is slated to defend his NABF strap January 29 in a rematch against Lora at Mohegan Sun.

Remillard recently closed out 2009 in Knoxville, winning a 6-round decision against veteran Marty Robbin. “I was in transition last year and I feel comfortable with TKO Boxing,” Remillard said. “My career is where it needs to be and being ranked No. 13 says a lot about where I’ve come in the past year.

“I know I can fight, but I’ve learned how to set-up a game plan, boxing more, but I know I can always bang if I get in a bad situation. You don’t last long in this game getting hit a lot. I’m boxing more for my career. Now, I’m setting-up punches in the first round to take out my opponent in the sixth.”

Remillard, the former WBC Youth and USNBC titlist, has cracked the WBC ratings for the first time and he’s presently No. 13, the second-highest ranked American behind No. 11 Cornelius Lock. The WBC featherweight champion may be a Dominican, Elio Rojas, but Matt realizes the way to the top in this highly competitive division goes through a host of Mexican warriors. The top 4 featherweight contenders in the WBC are all Mexicans – (in order) Israel Vasquez, Juan Carlos Burgos, Guty Espades, Jr. and Johnny Gonzalez – and four of the next 10 are also Mexicans.

“I’m really looking forward to 2010,” Remillard concluded. “The NABF title means more than its Youth title and winning that belt has helped move me up in the WBC ratings. I know to move forward in the featherweight division I’ll need to beat some of these great Mexican fighters. I let my promoter and manager (Bret Hallenbeck) worry about that stuff. They’ve been doing a great job and gotten me ranked at No. 13. I trust them to make the right decisions and I just concentrate on fighting. I’m still young and soaking-up knowledge all the time. I’m looking to make 2010 my year.”